The Lady Xia

twenty-one: Hallucinating

"Every night of our lives, we dream, and our brain concocts visions which are, at least until we wake up, highly convincing. Most of us have had experiences which are verging on hallucination. It shows the power of the brain to knock up illusions."

~Richard Dawson

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee," a woman said as I was led to a carriage. "I will be taking you to a healer." 

I didn't argue as I stepped into the carriage, and we were off. The Dai Li agent sat across from me, and I stared right at him, he didn't even blink. I was tempted to try to get information out of them, but I knew it would be like trying to get Azula to be honest, it was just not going to happen. 

As we drove into a dark tunnel, a bag was thrown over my head, and I knew that they were listening to Jet to at least some extent. And they figured they would take the woman, the weaker person, the person who was obviously injured.

They have another thing coming. 

People think that by blindfolding someone, you take away their sight, but you're still left with your senses. But they have the advantage, they can see every expression on your face. However, if they put a black hood over your head. You can't see, but they can't see you. Zuko used to make fun of me how I make faces when I think, which is exactly what I did for the remainder of the carriage ride. 

"We've arrived," Joo Dee said happily, as if they were dropping me off at a retreat. 

I was hurriedly brought to a room before the hood was taken off of my face. My hopefully terrified face, because I wanted them to think I was scared, because nobody is so chipper about a woman being kidnapped like Joo Dee. 

I was met with a very kind face, "this is our healer."

"Who are y-you?" I questioned nervously. 

"I'm going to help you," the old woman said. I looked at her suspiciously, but held in my sarcastic comment. "If you could please lift up your shirt." I didn't say anything as I lifted up my shirt to expose where Jet had nicked me, and the still healing burn from Azula. Luckily for me, they were both close to my lower ribs. 

I hissed when she touched the wound from Azula, "it's infected. This is going to be painful for you." 

"It's been painful," I muttered sarcastically, forgetting that I needed to hold my tongue. 

"And then you stepped in front of a blade tonight, young lady," the woman said. 

"He was going to hurt my f-friend," I said as I tried not to cringe as she started to poke and prod at the wound caused by said blade. 

"Why did he attack you?" She asked.

"He s-saw the scars on my hands, thinks I was traveling with f-firebenders," I said as she cleaned the wounded. My voice had gone up what sounded like at least one octave. 

"Those are from severe burns," the old woman said. "Why did a firebender attack you?"

"She d-doesn't like me very much," I said, which was the truth, about Azula at least. But she didn't need to know that Azula didn't cause the scars on my arms, at least not all of them. It took me awhile to figure out how best to duck. 

"Now for the really painful one," the woman said as she peeled back the bandages I had. I tried not to move, but I had started to break out in a cold sweat. I bit my lip as she began to clean the wound, but then she suddenly stopped.

"Sir?" The woman asked, and she looked nervous. Joo Dee was just standing there with her creepy smile still on her face. 

"Leave us," the man ordered.